5/15/19

And to many that means one thing, and one thing only: Time to hop on your Harley and RIDE, baby!

Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson made a historic move in the year 1903 when they opened their Milwaukee shop in a small shed. Little did they know that in 2008, an exciting museum would open honoring the bikes - and lifestyle - they spawned worldwide.

If there's another museum where what's parked in front is a dead give away to what's on exhibit, I'd be hard pressed to think of it. But this lineup is just a taste of the magnificent machines we're about to see inside.

Thanks to ingenious installations, many of the bikes on exhibit seem to be more in motion than any of those revving their engines on the street. Steep angles defy gravity.

Airborne!

This exhibit mimics the look, feel and (loud) sound of a racetrack. It's like you're there!

These bikes were designed for delivery. During all four seasons. That means winter as well. In the Upper Midwest with freezing winds off Lake Michigan. Brrrr..!

From the original building... if these floors could talk.

Let's head up to the museum within a museum!

Seriously. Who doesn't have a few bikes in their office?

Or a chopper?

'Nowhere else on earth will you see so many original Harley's in one place.'

Now for some really out there bikes. One more ornate - or wacky - than the other, these vehicular wonders are expressions of the independent personalities who ride them.

I want to be Dot for a day. Or her sidekick.

An impressive wall of 100 contemporary Fat Bob fuel tanks are painted with various Harley Davidson logos. Spanning almost 80 years, in chronological order, the different paint schemes, pin-striping and logo designs make each tank a work of art.

Components to a Harley Davidson are myriad and the choices are many. For decades I've been in awe of my brother's ability to build a Harley from scratch. In fact, he doesn't just order the kits. He orders separate components to make his own kit, creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

Harley owners come from all walks of life, and from almost every corner of the world.

11/16/18

Not many museum visits begin with a tram ride up the mountain. But the Getty in LA is anything but your usual museum. In 1984, architect Richard Meier won the coveted commission, and in 1997, the Getty opened to fanfare heard round the world.

Adjectives often associated Richard Meier's buildings are: white, squares, white, geometric, white, shiny. And white. So white in fact, that residents feared a ghastly brilliant blob on top of the hill, reflecting the sun, blinding motorists on the San Diego Freeway below. Changes had to be made to the original plan.

Working with an unlimited budget to build a museum and acquire new art to add the existing collection, the Getty was seen as a threat to many. How would the trust's ability to outbid all others at auction upset the balance. Most of those fears have been allayed since its opening and today the museum coexists with - and contributes to - the art world in valuable ways other institutions with fewer resources cannot.